Hydraulic fracturing treatment is one of the most effective methods of improving hydrocarbon production. Hydraulic fracturing is particularly useful in reservoirs with low permeabilities. Oil or gas production from shale, for example, is frequently not economically feasible without hydraulic fracturing treatments being performed.
During hydraulic fracturing treatments, propping agents, or proppants, such as sands or ceramic materials are injected into the formation together with fluids, typically high viscosity fluids, at pressures sufficient to create fractures in the formation rock. The proppants are used to hold the fractures open. The productivity of the well is determined, inter alia, by the geometry and permeability of the propped fracture.
During hydraulic fracturing treatments, control of fracture height growth can be an important issue. In situations where the water table is close to the fracture zones, or where the fracture zones have low stress barriers, where fracture height growth can result in screenouts, control of the fracture height may be critical. One common technique for the control of fracture height is to use fluids with lower viscosity, such as viscoelastic surfactants. Lower viscosity fluids, however, do not transport large-sized proppants effectively in the fracture. One method of addressing that issue has been the incorporation of fiber into the surfactant fluids.
Fiber based technologies are known which allow the controlled placement of proppants inside the fracture to allow optimized propped geometry and/or fracture permeability. Fibers are also used in other well treatment fluids.